Your age dictates the type of fraud you’ll fall for

An Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) report reveals that age and the probability of falling victim to consumer fraud are clearly linked

Australians lost almost $230 million to scams last year, and a new Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) report has found that your age is a strong indicator of what type of scam you’re most likely to fall for.

The study – The Relationship between age and consumer fraud victimisation – found that respondents aged 65 years and over were significantly more likely to send money as a result of a fraudulent invitation than other age groups. They were also more likely than other age groups to be the victim of a computer support scam.

In contrast, respondents aged between 18 and 24 years were more likely to provide personal details in response to a fraudulent invitation than other age categories.

For individuals aged between 45 and 54 years, their highest risk of falling victim to consumer fraud was through dating and romance fraud.

The survey also found a relationship between age and how fraudulent invitations were delivered, with younger people more likely to be approached online or via sms.

Computer support fraud: fraud involving contact by fraudsters who claim to be representatives of legitimate businesses, who can fix problems with the recipients’ computer. Fraudsters may ask for money, personal details or passwords, or seek to sell worthless products to fix computers.

Dating/romance fraud: these schemes may demand payment for each email sent and received by the victim. Alternatively, romance scammers may ‘hook’ victims by asking for money for an unwell relative or to help them with financial trouble

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you. Consider the product disclosure statement before making a purchase decision. Canstar provides an information service. It is not a credit provider, and in giving you information about credit products Canstar is not making any suggestion or recommendation to you about a particular credit product. Statistics referenced on this page have been verified by Canstar Research. Research provided by Canstar Research AFSL and Australian Credit Licence No. 437917.